"PR number" at Lindner?

Strack-Zimmermann counters tax criticism: "This is masturbation" 

Created: 08/18/2022, 2:45 p.m

The guests at "Markus Lanz" (ZDF) discuss the excess profit tax.

© ZDF Mediathek (Screenshot)

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann defends Christian Linder when he is accused of a sleight of hand.

The excess profit tax is hotly debated. 

Hamburg – In the second program after his summer break, Markus Lanz and his guests discuss Olaf Scholz's behavior at the press conference with Mahmoud Abbas, the President of Palestine.

"There were 50 Israeli massacres, 50 holocausts," said Abbas in Berlin in front of the cameras.

The Chancellor did not react to this, instead ending the press conference a minute before it was due to end.

The matter is clear for Robin Alexander: “Scholz distrusts reflexes.

He wasn't prepared for that." That's why he was silent so as not to say anything wrong.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann points out that government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit made a mistake, which he immediately admitted.

ZDF correspondent Ulf Röller is certain that Hebestreit is a pawn and makes it clear: "It's part of the political DNA to react to a term like the Holocaust, especially as a German."

Strack-Zimmermann: "Then we'll get it over with"

Robin Alexander sees a dose of pragmatism in the behavior of the chancellor and his entourage.

"We finance them and have to argue with them about the Holocaust," could have been a perception if Scholz had agreed.

Behind the scenes, however, the issue is taken seriously, since the Palestinian ambassador was summoned a day later.

When Markus Lanz turns to Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann and announces his questions, the humorous Rhinelander sighs: "Then we'll get it over with." What she says flippantly may later be filled with seriousness.

Because in the discussion about the Brussels VAT fiasco in connection with the gas levy, Strack-Zimmermann sometimes does nothing more than shrug his shoulders.

For example, when Lanz asked her whether Finance Minister Christian Lindner had inquired before or after the gas levy was decided in Brussels.

"I have no idea," says the FDP politician.

"Markus Lanz": Robin Alexander sees a "PR number" at Lindner

Harald Lesch enriches the round with research, but obvious comments.

"I ask myself that as an average citizen," he says several times.

It had been clear for a long time that a levy would be necessary to save the public utilities and Uniper.

That's why Lesch is surprised: "It's the job of the Ministry of Finance to investigate briefly what that means for VAT if we do something like that." The answer could have been given six weeks ago just as quickly as it is now.

"That's why you have to assume that there is political calculation behind it, without knowing what goal is being pursued."

Robin Alexander explains.

"It's a practiced procedure in Europe," the journalist smiles, "when national governments have to announce something that somehow doesn't go so well, they say it was the ones in Brussels."

In Poland, this tactic is used to contest entire election campaigns.

“Christian Linder says he would like to forgo the tax, a day later Brussels says that is not possible.

That was a PR thing,” Alexander is sure.

At the same time he puts it into perspective: "He tried and we caught him."

But this comment makes Strack-Zimmermann angry: "Now that's really self-satisfaction that you think you caught him doing something."

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"Markus Lanz" - these guests discussed on August 17:

• Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP)

  – Member of the federal party executive and the parliamentary group executive

• Harald Lesch

  - scientist and natural philosopher

• Ulf Röller

  – future head of the ZDF studios in Brussels

• Robin Alexander

  – Deputy Editor-in-Chief at “Welt”

Lanz then steers the discussion in a different direction.

He makes it clear that a family of four will have to pay at least 40 to 50 euros more per month in the future.

And then I would like to know from Strack-Zimmermann why people are not asked to pay who made rubbish during the crisis without their doing anything.

The term "excess profit tax" is mentioned, which is levied in Italy, for example.

Companies that took a risk in the Corona crisis, for example, should be expressly excluded.

While the risk at Biontech was worth it, Curevac went under.

"But which mineral oil company has taken a risk to now collect length times width at the pump?" asks Lanz.

"Markus Lanz": ZDF correspondent Ulf Röller fears distribution fights

Strack-Zimmermann counters: "Who should determine when a company has increased its profits with or without risk?" Harald Lasch takes a sip from his wheat glass, takes a deep breath and launches an attack: "The oil companies have lost their profits-x -facht who are indecent even for a capitalist.

It's bad profits because it's profits from fossil resources.” Lesch therefore concludes that there are many reasons for additional taxation of the mineral oil companies.

The scientist is also amazed that Greece, Italy and Spain are assumed to have made the wrong decisions, since these countries levy an excess profit tax.

Ulf Röller sees a great danger in the debate.

He fears that "incredible distribution discussions and fights" could get caught up.

Our society is not prepared for this.

Röller has lived and worked in China for the past twelve years and makes the comparison.

"I know that many people are watching who are already not doing well, but our capacity to suffer is much less pronounced than in China, for example." 19 degrees can be heated.

"In China, half of the country has no heating at all," says the journalist.

Politicians have failed to react to the major problems in the social system and the demographic factor.

"In 14 years in the capital studio Berlin I experienced six pension reforms of the century," recalls Röller.

But the fundamental question of distribution has not been resolved.

Harald Lesch is bothered by the fact that the truth about problems is not spoken.

He mentions, for example, the heat wave that has been spreading across the country for weeks.

"There will never be cheap energy or cheap fuel again," Lesch is certain.

That's why he's calling for the "largest source of energy in the country to be activated, namely saving energy." He is surprised that companies are now implementing plans to save energy: "Oh, they're only just starting to save now?

If they could have done it before, it would have made economic sense.

But that wasn't the case because the atmosphere in the country wasn't in favor of savings."

"Markus Lanz" - The conclusion of the show

The discussion as to whether the VAT request in Brussels was a PR number will probably not be resolved in the near future.

However, the guests at Lanz agree that Christian Linder has undertaken a sleight of hand.

With the exception of Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who also had a lively exchange of blows with Harald Lesch on the subject of excess profit tax.

Ulf Röller has bleak prospects ready when he draws comparisons to China and fears distribution struggles in Germany.